Modern decking structures have little in common with decking structures of a few decades ago. Rather than using wood boards, modern decking structures often use hard, high-density, springy synthetic boards made of composite and polymeric materials. The synthetic boards improve the longevity, durability and strength of the decking structure, while also reducing the need to maintain or paint the decking structure.
In addition, rather than using nails and screws to hold all aspects of the structure together, modern decking structures often rely upon fasteners. Some fasteners are designed for use with a support structure that underlies the deck boards, other fasteners facilitate and expedite the installation of deck boards to the base, and still other fasteners are designed for use in both contexts.
However, as the decking structure has changed, the utility of conventional tools, such as a hammer, rubber mallet, screw driver and power drill, has decreased.
As is known in the art, a decking structure has a base, including a number of joists and ledger boards, which defines an upper surface. Deck boards are attached to the base in an adjacent, side-by-side, spaced-apart manner across the upper surface thereof. The deck boards are attached to the joists and the ledger boards via fasteners, such as the pronged hidden fasteners described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,416,269 and 7,398,623. In particular, the pronged fasteners are attached to an exposed edge of an installed deck plank and secured to the underlying joist or ledger board. Then, an unsecured deck board is placed adjacent to the installed deck board and driven into place alongside the installed deck board. Specifically, a force is applied, often using a sledge hammer or a soft faced or dead blow mallet, to an outer edge of the unsecured deck board so that an inward edge of the unsecured deck board (i.e., the edge that faces the exposed edge of the installed deck board) is pressed into engagement with the pronged fasteners.
The process of hammering the unsecured deck board into engagement with the pronged fasteners is physically demanding and produces irregular results. In particular, the hammering action jostles the decking structure, which can weaken the connection of the pronged fasteners to the installed deck board and the underlying support. The hammering action potentially damages the deck boards or the pronged fasteners and results in jarring of the boards to such an extent that a secured insertion of the pronged fastener into the opposite edge of the unsecured deck board is not attained. This last issue results in enlarged penetrating holes in the deck board where the prongs should firmly penetrate.
The object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide a tool, which, among other desirable attributes, significantly reduces or overcomes the deficiencies of installation using conventional tools.